by Amy Titus

Created on: December 15, 2009

Purchasing a mattress is a major financial investment that not only affects your wallet, but also your sleep.  It is one of the few items that remain a mystery to the intimidated.   Walking into a sea of mattresses and foundations at the local store with price tags that bounce all over the spectrum is confusing.   What are you paying for and whats inside?  Let me offer you a few tips to  make an intelligent decision that your back will love.

1.  Ask yourself if you sleep better on a soft of firm mattress.

2.  If the answer is soft, then look for a mattress with a wide quilted pattern, several layers of foam, a low to middle range coil count, or a pocket coil spring.   A word to the wise however, the more foam in the mattress, the quicker the body impressions will show up.  When you see that sagging in the middle its rarely the springs, its usually the foam compression.

3.  If the answer is firm, then go for a tightly quilted pattern, fewer layers of foam and a high coil count.  In reality, the firm mattress will last much longer that the soft.

4.  Allergy conscious people should give a look at the mattress incorporating latex.  It offers a dust mite free environment and a very comfortable soft surface.  A major plus is that body impressions take much longer to show up on latex.  The price tag will be higher on these mattresses, however it is a good investment.

5. Memory foam is an individual preference, many people love its comfort and feel.  But be aware that  most mattresses with memory foam hold body heat and encourage sweating.  Although there are new types of memory foam on the market that advertise less heat transfer, be sure to ask.

6. Almost every manufacturer offers a low to high end mattress.  One brand is not usually better than the next.  Its just important to know what is in each mattress so that you can compare to the other.  I find that you get more specific information from a mattress store versus the furniture store because they are geared more to answer your questions.

7. Lay on every bed in your price category.  Don't feel intimidated, you have to sleep on this mattress for a long time!  See if the store has a "cut out" of the mattresses you are interested in.  This is an actual small mattress with the inside shown, you can actually see how it is made.

8. One sided versus two sided.  If you are not going for

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>